Letter to the editor: We can no longer tolerate inaction on guns

Jan. 20, 2013

One aspect of the Newtown, Conn., debacle that seems to have escaped notice is the fact that this tragedy could have easily been many times larger than it was. Adam Lanza was trained, motivated and equipped to have killed many more children in that school. Only the fortunate 911 call by the wounded faculty member and the prompt response limited his slaughter.

Must we wait until hundreds of the innocent children are gunned down before we take some reasonable steps to control this blight on our society?

Australia had a similar mass shooting 16 years ago that resulted in a ban on assault weapons and the repurchase of thousands of them by the government. They have not had a repetition of a mass shooting since the ban was put in place. No one is advocating limitations on the ownership of guns for hunting or personal protection, but these murderous military weapons have no legitimate place in a civilized society.

Of course any society will have deranged individuals that escape detection, but to suggest that better identification of these people alone is a solution without limiting their access to dangerous weapons is incredibly naïve. Those who believe their rights to unlimited gun ownership trump the very lives of innocent Americans should examine their own mental health and value systems.

We, as a nation, must turn the tables on this vocal minority that has intimidated our politicians into submission on gun control by making it clear that we will no longer tolerate inaction on this obvious scourge in our society. The very survival of a civil, safe and free society demands it.